United Nations

A Conversation With US Ambassador Scot Marciel

April 3, 2019 by Thiha

On March 8, The Irrawaddy’s editorial team invited US Ambassador Scot Marciel to our office in Yangon to participate in a conversation on a range of issues, particularly the many challenges Myanmar is facing. The ambassador offered his frank views in response to questions from senior editors. Here are excerpts from the interview: The Irrawaddy: […]

Filed Under: Latest News Tagged With: Arakan Army, ARSA, human rights, kyauk phyu, Kyauk Phyu port, military personnel, Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement, rakhine, Scott Marciel, special economic zone, United Nations, WASHINGTON

Myanmar’s stalled China-backed Myitsone dam project strained bilateral ties for years — now it could be scaled back or moved

February 1, 2019 by Thiha

A top Myanmar investment official on Tuesday suggested scaling back or relocating a stalled Chinese-backed hydropower project that has strained ties between the neighbours for nearly a decade. The suggestion follows a statement by the Chinese Embassy in Myanmar earlier this month that said civil society organisations in Kachin state supported the planned project. Hundreds […]

Filed Under: Latest News Tagged With: Beijing, China, China-Myanmar economic corridor, Chinese embassy, dam, Hydropower Project, Kachin, Kachin State, MRJ, Mungchying Rawt Jat, Muslims, Myanmar, Myitsone, National League for Democracy, Naypyidaw, NLD, Rohingya, S. Rajaratnam School, singapore, State Power Investment Corporation Company, United Nations, Yunnan International Power Investment, Yunnan Province

New dry port expected to cut transport costs in Mandalay

January 28, 2019 by Thiha

The first dry port in Mandalay Region to transport goods by container has opened in Myitnge, Amarapura township, making the movement of products to and from the city easier and cheaper, according to Transport and Communications Minister U Thant Sin Maung. “We have been left behind for 30 years in carrying goods by containers. Only […]

Filed Under: Latest News Tagged With: Amarapura, Asian railway, Dry Port, Economic and Social Commission, KM Terminal Logistics, Mandalay Region, Myanma Railways, Myitnge, Tamu, transport and communications, United Nations

Illicit imports threaten Myanmar’s e-commerce players

November 27, 2018 by Thiha

The commerce ministry committed to developing the country’s nascent e-commerce sector as a means to boost trade and create jobs, but the lack of infrastructure and rampant illicit trade pose a serious threat to the emerging industry. The report from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) titled “Rapid eTrade Readiness Assessment of […]

Filed Under: Latest News Tagged With: asean, BarLoLo, commerce, conference, consumer protection, cybercrimes, digital, digitalisation, E-Commerce, Ecosystem, eTrade, Government Officials, healthcare, illicit trade, industry, infrastructure, innovative, LOGISTICS, manufacturing, Nay Pyi Taw, online transactions, policies, retail, Security, telecommunications, tourism sectors, Trade, Trade and Development, UNCTAD, United Nations

First Tourists Arrive on New Free-Visa System, 21 Western Countries to be Added

October 9, 2018 by Thiha

As an initial phase of implementing its new tourism strategy, the tourism ministry launched a free-visa system for tourists from Japan, South Korean and China’s Hong Kong and Macau on Monday. The move is likely to be followed in the coming years by the lifting of visa requirements for citizens of another 21 countries—especially western […]

Filed Under: Latest News Tagged With: Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, ARSA, Chinese Tourists, free-visa system, genocidal, infrastructure, International Criminal Court, myanmar tourism federation, National League for Democracy, Northern Rakhine State, Rohingya crisis, Russia, tourism, United Nations, visa exemptions, visa-on-arrival, Western Countries, Yangon International Airport

Anti-corruption drive dodges political donations and criminal liability

September 28, 2018 by Thiha

Nay Pyi Taw has stepped up its efforts to curb corruption by empowering the anti-graft body and reaching out to the private sector. Yet, the announcement from the Directorate of Investment and Companies Administration (DICA) has created confusion among businesses. Crucially, there are still no criminal liability for offering bribes and no effective regulations on […]

Filed Under: Latest News Tagged With: Anti-Corruption Commission, Anti-Corruption Law, asean, code of conduct, corruption, Crime, DICA, Directorate of Investment and Companies Administration, Drugs, election commission, MCRB, Nay Pyi Taw, Tax, Thai, United Nations, UNODC

Why Facebook is losing the war on hate speech in Myanmar

August 27, 2018 by Thiha

YANGON, Myanmar – In April, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg told U.S. senators that the social media site was hiring dozens more Burmese speakers to review hate speech posted in Myanmar. The situation was dire. Some 700,000 members of the Rohingya community had recently fled the country amid a military crackdown and ethnic violence. In March, […]

Filed Under: Latest News Tagged With: Aela Callan, Allah, Anthony Larmon, Bengalis, Burmese, CEO of Phandeeyar, Chris Tun, David Madden, Echo Myanmar, Facebook, Indonesia, Jes Kaliebe Petersen, kalar, Lars Erik Tellmann, mark zuckerberg, Military, muslim, Myanmar, Refugees, Rohingya, Rohingya-style food, Senate, social media, United Nations

Far from a ‘debt trap’, China’s belt and road allows countries like Myanmar to leapfrog poverty

July 16, 2018 by Thiha

Andre Wheeler says Western critics overlook the holistic and long-term benefits that China’s multilateral infrastructure investment programme brings to countries like Myanmar. What’s more, they aren’t offering any alternatives A plethora of articles have discussed the risks associated with China’s Belt and Road Initiative. The discussion is often portrayed within a “winners versus losers” framework, […]

Filed Under: Latest News Tagged With: “debt trap”, 2017 Belt and Road summit., African, Beijing, China, China-Myanmar economic corridor, China's Belt and Road Initiative, China’s foreign minister, clean coal technology, construction, credit rating, development banks, economic conditions, electricity, energy market, fossil fuels, GDP levels, Heritage, Infrastructure Projects, KYAUK PHYU SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONE, Kyuak Phyu deep water port projects, lung disease, Malaysia, Myanmar, Myitsone dam hydro power, North Korea, Pakistan, return on investment, Sri Lanka, United Nations, United States, Wang Yi

Vietnam, Myanmar look towards 1 bln USD in two-way trade

April 27, 2018 by Thiha

Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and State Counselor of Myanmar Aung San Suu Kyi agreed to further deepen bilateral trade and investment on win-win basis towards achieving 1 billion USD or higher in two-way trade during their talks in Hanoi on April 19. The talks took place right after the welcome ceremony […]

Filed Under: Latest News Tagged With: asean, East Sea, Energy, finance, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, Hanoi, International Law, Mekong River water resources, memorandum of understanding, military medicine, Myanmar, Myanmar Joint Commission, National Assembly channels, national defence-security, ninth largest trade partner, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, State Counselor of Myanmar Aung San Suu Kyi, telecommunications, the United Nations, United Nations, Vietnam, Vietnamese PM

Zuckerberg apologized for Myanmar Violence

April 18, 2018 by Thiha

Last week, after frustrated activists from Myanmar sent an open letter to Mark Zuckerberg, the chief executive of Facebook, they got something unexpected: a reply. The activists, representing six civil society organizations, harshly criticized Mr. Zuckerberg in the letter, saying he had mischaracterized Facebook’s response to violence-inciting messages in Myanmar and had not devoted sufficient […]

Filed Under: Latest News Tagged With: a leading technology hub, Adam Mosseri, chief executive of Phandeeyar, dangerous hate speech, Debbie Frost, Development Organization, Facebook, Facebook executives, Facebook Messenger, Facebook spokeswoman, Facebook’s News Feed head, Germany, humanitarian crisis, Indonesia, Jes Petersen, mark zuckerberg, Myanmar, Myanmar ICT, Myanmar speaking reviewers, Myanmar Violence, Phandeeyar, philippines, President Rodrigo Duterte, Rohingya Muslims, social media analyst, Sri Lanka, the U.S. or Europe, United Nations, Victoire Rio